Our Last Summer
by TheLittle MissVixen
Summary: I can still remember everything about the summer of 98, the most important of my life. A time when I learned the meaning of friendship, the pain of loss and the power of love, a time that changed me and made me grow up, that turned me into the person I am today. My story doesn't have a happy ending but I've learned that life is not about the destination, it's about the journey.
1. Summer of 98

_**Hey! Well I'm bringing this new project I've been working on, I don't know why but this idea got stuck into my head and I just knew that I will end up writing it eventually. It won't be longer than ten chapters. I was actually thinking about doing it a one shot but decided against it in the end.** _

**_I really hope you like it, please please leave me a review so I can know your opinions._**

**_Love,_**

**_Sam_**

* * *

**_Beyond the ridge to the left, you asked me what I want  
Between the trees and cicadas singing around the pond  
I spent an hour with you, should I want anything else?_**

**_Sixteen Maybe Less -Iron&Wine-_**

**_._**

_I stepped out of the cab and tried to assimilate everything around me, I haven't been __to__ this place in thirty three years, not since the summer of 98. Everything looks different, the streets are wider, there are more people around me, less trees and even the air smells different._

_I walk towards the small white house that now belongs to me, my daughter didn't understand why I wanted to move to this little town, why after her father's death I didn't __choose__ to stay with her, but she didn't understand… I needed to go back here, I wanted to live my __last__ years here, in the most special place in the world for me. _

_It took me the whole afternoon to unpack my things and settle down __in__ the house, when I was finally done I prepared some __iced__ tea and sat down on the porch, watching the people walk by, staring as the world kept spinning around me. _

_I inhaled deeply and suddenly it hits me, the lovely smell of wood and humidity that I missed so much, the one I __thought__ this place no longer held. And then it all comes rushing back to me, I can remember every single detail of that summer, the summer when I was seventeen, the one that changed my life forever. _

_I close my eyes with a smile on my lips as everything starts to appear in my mind, as if I was watching a movie. _

* * *

"I'm sure we'll be fine there Jer, you don't have to worry." I told my brother even though I wasn't entirely sure of it, but I needed to be strong, for both of us.

"Do you really think so Lena?" he asked with tears in his eyes. "You think we'll be fine without them?"

"Jenna will be there for us Jer, she's all we have now." I leaned closer to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. Jeremy was still a kid; it pained me to see him like this. It had been two weeks since our parents died and there was nothing more for us in NY, that's why we were moving in with Aunt Jenna in Mystic Falls, that was the place my mother grew up in.

"I'm scared Lena." Jeremy said against my hair as I held him softly.

"I know Jer, I know." The cab came to a stop in front of a two story white house, it was beautiful and I recognized it immediately from the pictures mom used to show us. "Come on, we're here."

We stepped out and Jenna was already there waiting for us with a blonde girl next to her, she looked my age. "I'm so glad you're finally here." My aunt said as she walked closer to us and enveloped us in an embrace. I wanted to cry, I wanted to break down in that same moment but I couldn't, I needed to be strong for Jeremy. "Come on let's get your things inside." Jenna said before releasing us.

She introduced us to the blonde girl whose name was Caroline, she was the daughter of her good friend Liz and she actually stayed and helped us unpack, I know that Jeremy wanted privacy, just the three of us but I found the company of this girl quite refreshing, around her I could be just Elena Gilbert not the girl whose parents had just died.

"Anyway I think you should come tonight to the bonfire." Caroline said while we were making lunch, apparently it was a huge thing around here, this bonfire, they did it every year and every person my age attended.

"I'm not sure Caroline; I mean I just got here. I don't anyone." I said while chopping vegetables, I didn't want to go, tonight I just wanted stay home and watch movies with Jer while drinking hot chocolate.

"You know me and I know everyone," she said excitedly. "Come on it will be fun."

"I think you should go honey." Jenna said while stepping into the kitchen. "This isn't every night, you can stay and watch movies tomorrow."

"I don't know Jenna."

"Please, please come." Caroline said while looking at me with puppy eyes and I couldn't refuse her, after all I needed to start familiarizing myself with my surroundings, I was living here now anyway.

I wasn't in the best mood to get ready but Jenna convinced me I should do my best, the entire young population was there and I had to look my best for them, I didn't understand why but I did it anyway, it made her really happy to see me like a normal girl and I wanted to do everything I could to see her happy, after all she lost her sister too and I couldn't thank her enough for everything she was doing for us.

I wore a tight pair of black jeans with a long-sleeved red top and a pair of high heeled black boots, which later I discovered were not the best option to take to a bonfire.

"I'll be back in a second, I'm going to find my boyfriend so I can introduce him to you." Caroline said with a wide smile on her face. "You have my number, if you need anything before I come back, just call me." She winked at me before disappearing into the crowd.

I let out a huff and started walking towards the less crowded place; I didn't like being surrounded by people, coming here was actually a stupid idea. I sat down on a piece of a tree trunk where nobody could see me and sipped my drink slowly. I felt miserable and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to fit in with this little town; it was so different from NY, from the life I used to lead.

Nothing could make me feel better at the moment, not Caroline with all of her excitement, not Jenna and her kindness and definitely not a place full of drunk boys, I needed to get out of here, but I didn't know the way back home, so I had nothing else to do but sit and grovel until Caroline came back.

"You know you shouldn't be here all by yourself; bad things can happen in the darkness," a strange voice said next to me and my heart stopped beating, I was about to be raped, killed and chopped into pieces, and all in my first night here. "Don't worry I won't hurt you." The stranger said with chuckle, it was then that I turned to see who this guy talking to me was.

My heart started beating even faster than before, this boy, no, wait. This man was the most beautiful I had ever laid eyes on, yes beautiful is the word. He's tall, with dark hair and blue eyes and oh my God that jaw! I hadn't seen anything sexier than that damn jaw.

"I'm Damon." He said with a smile on his lips and sat next to me. Oh crap I was staring at him, he probably thinks I'm a dork, well I probably am anyway.

"I'm Elena." I said with a smile as well and looked anywhere but at his eyes. If I did I knew I was going to stare again and surely scare the hell out of him.

"You're Jenna's niece?"

"How do you know?" I asked with surprise.

"Small town, big hell, supermodel." He said with a grin. Wait, did he just say supermodel? What's with that? "You can't keep a secret in a place like this."

"Well it's not exactly a secret."

"How old are you?"

"Shouldn't you know that by now?" I said a little irritated. It wasn't his fault but I couldn't help but feel a little bit upset that the entire town already knew about us.

"In fact I do, you're seventeen but I was trying to be polite." A small smile was still gracing his lips, what was with this guy? Did he have to smile about everything?

"Unbelievable." I muttered under my breath. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen, so tell me supermodel why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

"Did you just call me supermodel?" I asked while looking at him, God he was beautiful, I wanted to kiss those lips so damn much. Wait what was that? Why was I thinking about kissing this stranger?

"Yes I did." He said with a grin.

"Why?"

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror?" I couldn't help the blush that crept onto my face at his words, thank God it was dark or he would have seen it. "Besides you're from NY, isn't that where all the supermodels live?"

"Actually I think that's LA."

"Same thing." He shrugged. "And you didn't answer my question."

"I came here with Caroline but she left to find her boyfriend, I didn't want to be surrounded by strangers."

"You came here with blondie?" he asked with surprise; I couldn't help but smile at Caroline's nickname.

"Yes, I met her today at my aunt's house."

"And of course she convinced you to come." He shook his head. "That totally sounds like her."

"Seems like you know her very well." I said softly, I was totally a dork, I couldn't help the feeling of jealousy that crept into my body. Why? I don't know, this man was free to do with his life as he pleased.

"Actually I do, she's been my brother's girlfriend for the last three years." That I didn't see coming, was his brother as hot as him?

"Really?"

"Yes, everyone in town thinks they're going to end up getting married."

"What do you think?"

"I just hope they're right." He gave me a sad smile that I couldn't understand. "She annoys the hell out of me most of the time but he's happy with her, and I want nothing more than my brother to find happiness."

There was something nostalgic in the way he was speaking about his brother and I wanted to ask more but I didn't, I just met him and I didn't think he wanted to open up his heart to me.

"Do you- do you know why we moved here?" I wanted to be ready if I had to face people asking me about my parents, after all, mom was quite loved here.

"Yes, the whole town knows honey." His hand touched mine softly and I felt warmth spread though my entire body. "But don't worry we don't have to talk about it." I knew he was being sincere, he was giving me the space that I needed so much and I was so grateful for it.

"Thank you." I said looking deeply at him, I could totally get lost in those blue eyes.

"There you are I've been looking for you!" The voice of Caroline broke into my trance and I turned around to see her standing next to a very handsome man, I assumed it was her boyfriend, he was gorgeous as well but didn't hold a candle against his brother. "I see you met Damon." She said with a smile.

"Yes I did."

"Well now I want you to meet Stefan, my boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you Elena." Stefan gave me a warm smile and extended his hand to me so I was able to shake it.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled back at him.

"Well since the tribe is here to rescue the princess, I should leave." Damon said getting up from his seat and I wanted to object, wanted to tell him to stay. I didn't know why but talking to him had felt so right. "See you around brother." Stefan gave him a warning glance and I couldn't understand why, surely the brothers were keeping a secret and I was dying to know what it was. "I'll see you later supermodel." He winked at me and disappeared into the darkness, right where he came from.


	2. Sixteen maybe less

_Thanks a lot to everyone reading this! _

_And Amy for being my beta for this story :)_

_In case there was any confusion, the story is set in 98. The bit at the beginning of the first chapter (the one in italics) it's the only part that is present._

* * *

**_One grinning wink like the neon on a liquor store_**

**_We were sixteen, maybe less, maybe a little more_**

**_I walked home smiling, I finally had a story to tell_**

_._

Life was slowly coming back to normal, it had been a week since we moved to Mystic Falls and it was as if finally we were adapting to this new life we had to lead. Of course I was adjusting a little bit better than Jer, he was pretty young still and he still resented the situation very much.

Caroline had visited me at least four times in the last week and I found myself liking her very much; she was bubbly and talked a lot so she kept me distracted. She had told me everything about Damon, the guy I met at the bonfire. He was Stefan's older brother, very smart; he graduated with the highest grades in high school last year, he had a scholarship to play football in college but apparently Caroline didn't know why he decided not to go. He used to be a Casanova, even though Caroline said that he hadn't been dating much in the last year.

She thought I had some romantic interest in him, but of course I don't. I don't want any romantic drama at the moment, I'm doing pretty great by myself, even though I have to admit I can't stop thinking about those beautiful blue eyes, I don't know, the guy kind of hit a nerve inside me.

On the other hand, life with Jenna is pretty great, despite the fact that we have to eat takeout food almost every day because she can't cook anything! Her boyfriend Alaric is here all the time and he's pretty great, he teaches history at the local high school and he's been talking to me about colleges, I suppose that was my father's job but now that he's gone Ric has been great with it.

I'm anxiously waiting for my results; I would die if I didn't get into Brown. I have wanted to get into that school since I was five years old, my parents went there, in fact they met and fell in love at that school, plus if I go there I will be so much closer to home, well my old home. The only thing that bothers me about going away for college is leaving Jeremy here alone, especially in times like these, but he insisted that if I get accepted at Brown I would be a fool to let it go.

Oh how I wish my parents could be here, I miss them so much, every day. Sometimes It feels like something is choking me and I can't breathe, living without them is the hardest thing I've ever done.

I closed the book I was currently reading, since I lost my concentration and it wasn't that good anyway. Jenna brought me to the public library to see if I could find something to distract myself with since Caroline was spending the morning with her boyfriend, but I didn't feel in the mood to keep reading anymore. I just wanted to go home. Home. Was this really my home now?

After ten minutes of walking I realized that not calling Jenna to pick me up was the worst idea. It's been pretty hot lately so I'm wearing a sleeveless aquamarine top and a pair of black shorts with a very cute pair of Louboutin flats that mom got me a few months ago. I'd never wore them until now and they were killing my feet! I thought only heels could hurt your feet, I was so wrong.

"Hey! You need a ride supermodel?" I heard a voice I could recognize everywhere, even though I'd only heard it once.

"No thank you."

"Come on, it's pretty hot outside. Don't be stubborn."

"I'm perfectly fine, I love the fresh air." I gave him a tight smile while I watched him drive next to me in his blue Camaro.

"I don't believe that, plus I bet your feet are killing you."

"How do you know that?" I asked with curiosity.

"Because you have a pained face and you're practically limping."

"Of course not!" I answered with indignation. I was walking perfectly fine. In fact I was doing just fine before he showed up to ruin my walk. Okay that wasn't true but he didn't need to know how miserable I was feeling.

"Come on darling, we're even going to the same place."

"What?"

"Yes, Jenna called me to come and help her fix the sink since Ric is unavailable right now." That was new, I didn't know that he was friends with Jenna. "Come on supermodel let me take you."

"Fine." I said giving into him already, the truth was that my feet were indeed killing me, plus a few minutes alone with him wasn't going to be so bad.

I went into his car and I was immediately surrounded by the faint smell of leather and him, God he smelled so good!

"So how are you adjusting?" he asked and looked at me briefly before turning his attention to the front.

"Pretty good actually, well I get bored a lot because there's not so many places to go here but it's been good." I told him sincerely, for some reason I felt free to talk with him about everything.

"There are really good places to go here honey." Honey? What was with him and the pet names?

"Really?" I asked with irony. Mystic Falls was a pretty small town, there was nowhere to go!

"Of course! You just don't go out with the right people." He said with a smirk and I couldn't help the damn blush that crept onto my face. "So my official duty from this day on is helping you to have fun this summer."

"Oh really? What makes you think I want to have fun with you this summer?" Of course I wanted that but I wasn't going to be that easy, right?

"Trust me, you will. New York doesn't hold a candle to Mystic Falls, especially if I'm your tour guide."

"I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. New York is so much better," there was absolutely no comparison! This man was completely insane to think any other way.

"You'll see, there's no better place than Mystic Falls." I felt the urge to ask him if that was the reason why he didn't leave for college but I shut my mouth instead, I wasn't even supposed to know that.

The way he talked about this place impressed me, there was such warmth and love in his words that he completely blew my mind, he really loved being here.

It turned out that Jenna was a good friend of his mom's and had known Damon since he was a little baby, according to her he was the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen, of course after Jeremy and me. It seemed like Damon and his brother were the golden boys of Mystic Falls, everyone loved them.

"Lena here it is, all of it." Jenna said placing two paper bags on the table and interrupting my creepy staring. Damon was now working under the sink and I could look shamelessly at his hot body without him knowing it.

"What's that?" I asked eying the bags suspiciously.

"The things for dinner, I figured we should stop with the takeout already. That can't be healthy." Jenna said with a grimace.

"And what do you want me to do with it?"

"Cook something." She said with a grin.

"Jenna I inherited your cooking skills." I stated matter of factly. I was dangerous in a kitchen, truly.

"You're kidding?" she said surprised.

"Nope, sorry to destroy your dream. But I suck."

"What are we going to do now?" she said with panic in her voice.

"Relax, it's not a big deal." Seriously of all the things happening to us, our lack of cooking skills was the least bad.

"Well if you want I can fix something for you." Mr. Perfect said while getting out from under the sink, his hair was disheveled and that made him look even more handsome. This man should be illegal, seriously.

"Would you?" Jenna said while looking at him with puppy eyes.

"Yeah, no problem."

"Jenna I think we can figure out something by ourselves."

"Honey you're saying that because you've never tasted his food." Jenna said and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Yeah but I'm sure-"

"Don't be stubborn supermodel, I'll cook you something." He said with a smirk before turning around to open the tap of the sink and watch the water fall marvelously. Another thing he was good at. "All set Jenna."

"Oh thank you Damon, you're seriously a God send."

Then the phone rang informing us that Jeremy was at the police station, it was nothing bad and he wasn't exactly arrested but he had been doing some vandalism and since the sheriff was Jenna's best friend they weren't going to hold it against him.

I insisted on going to the station but Jenna said I would be better here helping Damon out, she was going to take Jeremy for a drive and try to calm him down a little bit, he was really taking this situation in the bad way, I mean one week here and he's already in jail.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked with his back to me, he was busy doing the salsa while I chopped vegetables, because that was the only cooking I could do without ruining it.

"Yeah, it's just... I don't know how to help him, you know?"

"I think you should give him time."

"Yeah I guess so," the truth was that I really didn't know how to handle this situation either.

"Do you miss them?"

"Every day, but I have to be strong for Jeremy; it's my responsibility to take care of him."

"I think that's a lot of responsibility for someone your age." He said while turning around and looking straight at me.

"Yeah but he's my brother."

"And who's taking care of you?" His eyes turned bluer if that was even possible and a warm sensation spread through my whole body.

"What about you, are you close to your parents?" I asked wanting to change the subject immediately, I hated being in the spotlight.

"Yes, my mom is great, I love her so much. And well I used to do everything with my father, we were really close."

"Were?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah he died of cancer two years ago." He said looking down and I felt my heart break at his words, maybe that was the reason he didn't leave for college, he didn't want to leave his mother alone.

"Oh my God Damon I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it's been a while."

"It gets better? Living without him?" I asked him sincerely, because right now I felt like this ache in my chest was never going to fade away.

"It stills hurts… but not like before. Someday you'll wake up and the pain will be less, it's not always going to feel this way, I promise. I know you feel like the world is closing in on you but it gets better, I swear."

We finished dinner in silence after that and Jenna called to inform us that Jeremy was okay but that they weren't going to make it to dinner, she wanted to have some alone time with him. Damon and I ate dinner together, and it turned out Jenna was right, Damon was an amazing cook, his food tasted like heaven!

During the whole dinner he was trying to convince me to go to a party with him, well it wasn't precisely a party but more like a get together at the falls, a place that everybody loved here, especially drunken kids. He said Caroline and his brother would be there and other friends he wanted to introduce me to. He even called Jenna and asked her if it was all right for me to go and of course she couldn't say no and neither could I.

Damon Salvatore had a way of getting to me.

We listened to Radiohead on the whole way to the falls, they were Damon's favorite band and he almost murdered me when I told him I'd never heard a song of theirs before, it was just not my kind of music but I found myself really enjoying the tracks.

We arrived and the place was crowded with teenagers, he wasn't lying when he said the whole town would be here, like I said there weren't a lot of places to go here in Mystic Falls. We climbed some kind of gully until we arrived at the very top of the place where Caroline, Stefan and some other people were at.

"Elena you came!" My new blonde friend shouted happily and raised her red plastic cup to me. "Everyone meet my new friend Elena!" Stefan shook his head lightly and smiled at his girlfriend before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"She's quite a show right?" Damon murmured next to my ear while we kept coming closer to them. I noticed Stefan giving him a hard glare before returning his attention to the blonde girl in his lap, what was with these two and their creepy glares?

"Guys this is Elena, as Caroline already pointed out." Damon said with a smirk once we were with the group of people.

"Hi Elena!" Everybody said in usion and I couldn't help but laugh, I felt like I was at some church reunion or something like that.

We sat on the grass with them, Damon had his hand resting on my lower back and I couldn't help the tingles that ran through my spine at his touch. I was introduced to Bonnie and her boyfriend Jamie, she was really sweet and I liked her immediately. Then there was Matt, a blonde boy with beautiful blue eyes, he gave me a timid smile and I knew that we were going to end up being good friends, then there was Tyler who was Matt's brother, Rose a British girl with a nice smile and Andie a blonde girl who kept staring too long at Damon.

We started talking about random things and for the first time in a while I felt the sense of belonging, like maybe being in Mystic Falls wasn't that bad, like maybe everything was going to be okay. I felt like this was the place I belonged to.

After a while Damon asked if I wanted anything to drink and excused himself, I can't say that I didn't feel his loss instantly, it was cooler, like his presence was the one warming me up, I really couldn't explain it. I'd never felt this way about any of my boyfriends, not that Damon was my boyfriend, but you know what I mean.

"So Elena I bet you were having the time of your life in NY?" Caroline said, her words a little slurred already.

"No Caroline, sorry but not everything is like on the TV." I said honestly, my life was really boring actually.

"That sucks." She pouted and everyone around laughed.

"Were you expecting that everything was like Sex and the City?" Bonnie asked her with a smile.

"Well yeah." She said rolling her eyes.

"Seriously it's been like two episodes and you're already obsessed with that show." Matt said shaking his head with a smile.

"Well it's the best new show why did you think I forced my mom to get us HBO and anyway one day we're all going to go there and have a great time like Carrie Bradshaw would do." Caroline said with a big smile on her face and I couldn't help but smile back at her, she would fit in perfectly with the NY scene.

"Yeah someday babe." Said Stefan. "But right now we got to take you home before your mom sees the state you're in and decides to shoot me."

"But I don't wanna go!"

"But you have to."

He got up and took her in his arms, he really loved her, you could see that a mile away. I excused myself to go find something to drink, Damon had taken so long already and I wanted to find him, I felt like going home too and he was the only one who could take me back.

"You're new." A voice I didn't recognize said while I was wandering, trying to find Damon.

"Yes I am." I said turning around to see a tall brunette man who I've got to say was really cute.

"You're Elena?"

"Does everybody know about me here?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Small town sweetheart." He gave me a half smile and extended his hand to me. "I'm Trevor."

"Nice to meet you Trevor, I'm Elena, as you already know." He shook my hand lightly and then handed me a red cup.

"So Elena what are you doing here, wandering alone?"

"She's not alone." I heard Damon's voice behind me and then felt his arm circling my waist and gripping me tightly to him. "She's with me."

"I should have known." Trevor said smiling and shaking his head softly. "You always get the good stuff." What was that supposed to mean? It's not like I was a thing or something. Ass.

"It was nice to meet you Elena." Trevor said with the same half smile as before and then disappeared among more drunk teenagers.

"Why did you get separated from the group?" Damon asked with a frown before taking the cup in my hand and throwing it away. I was about to protest because I was actually thirsty but then he gave me a new one. What had that been about? I don't know.

"I was looking for you, you were taking too long and I want to go home."

"Sorry about that." He took my hand and we started to walk towards his friends again. "We should say goodbye."

"Where were you?"

"Around."

"Okaay." He didn't have to tell me, I mean it's not like I was his girlfriend or something but still I had this feeling that he was hiding something from me.

We said goodbye to the guys and before I even realized it I was already in Damon's car driving towards my house, this time there was no music.

"So, you don't like Trevor?" I asked because I did notice the hostile way he treated him back there.

"No, he's a low class jackass, I don't want him anywhere around you, so stay away." His eyes were fixed on the front and his hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Okay Dad." I muttered under my breath.

"I mean it Elena; I'm trying to protect you here."

I decided to stay quiet after that which forced us into a really long awkward silence; the playful Damon was long gone.

"So what is it that you miss the most of New York?" he asked after what felt like an hour.

"My friends, Bekah and Lauren, they're so cool we've known each other since we were kids and being away from them is really hard… oh there is also Jimmy who is my best friend too… he's like so gay and super fun." I started rambling and telling him stories about me and my friends and I watched him smile all the time, the tension was long gone and we were back to our old selves in a matter of minutes.

We arrived at the house and he insisted on walking me to the door, it was the first time a guy was this nice to me and even though I wanted to kill the butterflies in my stomach they were stronger than me. They decided they liked Damon and were not going to leave me alone.

"So did you have fun supermodel?" he asked with a smile while we were standing on the porch.

"I did. Your friends are pretty awesome."

"Well they're your friends now too." He gave me a smirk that left me weak in the knees and then bent to me and without even realizing what was happening he placed his lips softly to mine, he kissed me. "Good night Elena Gilbert." He murmured next to my mouth before pressing his lips briefly to mine again and pulling away.

I stayed standing there not knowing what to do, I was shocked to my very core, the feel of his lips on mine was something beyond wonderful. "Get inside supermodel, I won't leave until I know you're safe." He smiled at me and I opened the door clumsily. God I was such a dork.

"Good night Damon." I said before entering the house and closing the door.

Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad summer after all.


	3. I fell in love the way you fall asleep

"_As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."_

**The Fault in Our Stars –John Green-**

_._

"Okay, favorite movie?" he asked while stroking my hair softly.

"Uhmm that would be _Somewhere In Time_it's a really old film but I really love it." I smiled sweetly at him. We were at the falls, resting under the shadow of a big tree. Damon's back was against the trunk while I was lying horizontally with my head resting in his lap.

"I haven't seen it." He said with a smile.

"Really? We should totally see it together sometime." Because of course everything that meant being around him was perfect to me. I felt incredibly happy for the first time in weeks.

"Oh I would love that." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes and I couldn't help but feel tingles all over my body. God, this man makes me feel so out of control.

"So, favorite book?" I asked, changing the subject immediately.

"_The __Lord__ of __The Rings."_

"Really, I love that book." I said excitedly, I really liked that book and I was beginning to realize we had so many things in common.

"What's yours?"

"_Gone __With The Wind."_ I loved the love story between Scarlett and Rhett, even though it wasn't much of a love story it still captivates me, I read that book every Christmas since I turned thirteen and I've never gotten tired of it.

"That's a pretty amazing book."

"You've read it?" I asked a bit surprised, I never thought Damon would like a book like that, but then again he managed to surprise me everyday.

"Of course." He pinched my nose lightly so I smacked his arm in return. "Favorite band? ...and please don't tell me it's the _Backstreet Boys_." He said with annoyance and I couldn't help but laugh at his attitude.

"I do like the Backstreet Boys but in fact my favorite is _Savage Garden_… I know it's more a duet than a band but I just really love them."

"That's better." He said with a wide smile. "I would hate to know that the girl I love thinks the Backstreet Boys are the coolest band ever."

_Wait, what? love? _

"Did you, did you just say that you love me?" The minute after the words left my mouth I regretted them, it probably just slipped out of his mouth or he said it without even meaning it and I was making a big deal out of it.

"I… well… I know that technically we've just met but… I do." A smile spread across my face, I've never seen Damon so out of control and it was such a weird thing to see. "I think I may love you."

"You think?"

"I know." I couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through my body at his words, I knew it was really soon but I think I was falling in love for the first time in my life and it was the most amazing feeling in the world.

"I think I love you too." I whispered.

"You think?" he asked with a raised eye brow.

"I know." I said and smiled widely at him.

"You are really something else Elena Gilbert." He whispered before leaning into me and kissing me softly, I still hadn't got used to the feeling of his lips against mine, there was no more amazing feeling for me these days than kissing Damon.

"So what's the next question?" I asked trying to catch my breath once he pulled away from me.

"Uhmm let's see, what do you want to do when you get older?"

"Well I think that I would like to be a teacher," I answered honestly. My mom was a teacher and ever since I was a little girl I had wanted to do the same thing. "I want to be one of the cool teachers." I smiled at him.

"I think you can count on that." He whispered and my insides melted immediately.

"And what about you? What do you wanna do?"

"Well I haven't really thought about that." He answered and I saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes, and an emotion I wasn't able to comprehend, like he was hiding a big secret and that made him feel sad.

"Really? I mean you graduated high school last year-"

"I know but I wasn't really sure about what I wanted to do… so I just stayed here to help my mom and Stefan… you know-"

"Yeah of course," I could feel that he didn't want to keep talking about that, the subject disturbed him for some reason, so I decided to change it. "I wonder what Caroline is going to say when she finds out that we're officially dating now."

"Oh I think she knows, but that won't stop her from making a big fuss about it." He answered and I could see that the tension was gone, he was back to being the same old relaxed Damon. "Speaking of, at what time do you want me to pick you up?"

Caroline's birthday was today and she was throwing a huge party at some old farm. And of course she had agreed that I couldn't miss it. "Pick me up at eight."

"Not a minute after." He whispered and caressed my cheek.

Then suddenly an idea came to my mind, it was a stupid and corny idea but what can I say? I was drunk with love and Damon and I just couldn't help it.

"I have an idea." I said as I pulled a blade out of my back pocket.

"Okay, remind me to never piss you off." Damon said with a smile when he saw the object in my hand.

"Oh shut up." I muttered and sat up, I motioned for him to move away and started to carve something in the trunk behind him.

"What in the world are you doing?" he asked with a frown.

"Well when I'm fifty I want to know that my name will last forever in some old tree trunk."

"You're weird, and you suck at carving in wood, give me that." He said with a half laugh and took the blade out of my hand.

He started to move it in the trunk with such expertise that I was fascinated; a serious frown was on his face as he worked and I couldn't help the happiness in my heart.

"There you go, ready." He said with a triumphant smile.

My heart starting to beat so fast when I saw what he had done, there it was, our initials were inside a perfectly carved heart. It was corny and sappy and I couldn't love it more, I knew this was going to be a moment I would treasure for the rest of my life.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too." He said and kissed me softly.

* * *

Most of the time I took too long getting ready, dad was always complaining about that, he said that I even took more time getting ready than mom, and that was a lot to say. But today it had been different. It was only quarter to eight and I was completely ready.

I was wearing a little purple dress with a pair of black sandals and I had left my hair loose so my curls fell around my shoulders, I was barely wearing makeup, because well, mom always said that it made me look older and I didn't need it to be pretty and today I wanted to believe her.

"You look happy." I heard Jeremy's voice and turned around to find him standing in my doorframe.

"I am happy." I said softly and for a moment it occurred to me that maybe it was wrong to be happy, our parent's had died recently and I was already starting to feel good, maybe I was supposed to be sad longer, isn't that what people do?

"Don't you ever think that." My little brother said as if he could read my mind.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have to feel guilty Lena, they would like for you to be happy." I stared at him in wonder, when did my little brother get so wise? He was very young, he wasn't supposed to go all of this, but he did and in some way that was helping him grow up.

"I miss them, I miss them so much Jer." I said in a whisper. Even though being with Damon was making me so happy I still remembered them every day, especially before going to bed or the moments where I wished I could tell my mom about Damon, I know she would have loved him… my dad, not so sure.

"I know Lena, I miss them too." He said and his eyes turned sad. Immediately I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around him. "I like Damon," he said against my hair.

"I know me too."

"I'm glad that he's making you happy Lena, I've never seen you like this with any other boy."

"I know, he's different, special." I said honestly, I'd never met any other guy like Damon; I doubted there were many like him out there.

"He better be." He said and I couldn't help but laugh at the edge of protectiveness in his voice.

When Jeremy left it was already eight and Damon still wasn't here so I decided to check my appearance in the mirror one more time, I brushed my hair again, fixed the little amount of make-up I was wearing and finally at eight thirty the doorbell rang.

I opened the door ready to tease Damon about him being late but when I saw the expression on his face I kept my mouth shut.

"Sorry I'm late, I just had to fix an issue." He said in a whisper with an apologetic look on his face.

"It's okay… but are you all right?" he was pale, really pale. His blue eyes didn't have that glow that I had become so used to seeing. "You look sick."

"No, it's nothing. I just had a bit of a migraine. It happens sometimes." His voice was lower than usual and a sense of fear started to crawl on my skin.

"Are you sure? We could stay here and watch a movie." I was worried about him and I didn't want him to over exert himself.

"And let Caroline kill us both? No thanks." He gave me a crooked grin and extended his hand towards me. "Come on, young lady. I think you and I have a date." I smiled back at him and took his hand.

Caroline had been ecstatic when she saw us arriving at the party holding hands, she even made a little victory dance while saying that she knew from the moment she met me that I would be perfect for Damon.

Something weird happened too, Stefan didn't seem happy at all that Damon and I were dating, in fact he had been all grumpy towards his brother since he arrived, I wondered if there was any trouble between them or maybe he didn't think I was good enough for Damon, of course I couldn't care less about that, Stefan can think whatever he wants, Damon and I are together and nothing is going to tear us apart.

While Damon talked with some of his friends I stayed with Bonnie and Matt, I really liked them. It wasn't hard to feel loved here, with these entire people around you. I could finally see why my mom loved this place so much and I regretted dearly not visiting this place before, with them. I'd never been in this town before but I already knew that it was home.

"Easy there, you don't want your skin to turn green." The voice of Caroline said from behind me.

"What do you mean?" I said faking ignorance after turning around to see her.

I had been watching Damon talking to Andie and I have to admit that I was a bit jealous… okay maybe a lot. But it was only because she kept looking at him with the eyes of a puppy wanting to be adopted.

"Don't play dumb with me Gilbert." A small smile appeared on my friend's face. "But you don't have to worry about her."

"I don't?" I asked, really wanting to know the answer. Damon and Andie had dated a few times before, I knew that.

"No, they're over. And I've never seen him like this before."

"Like this?" I asked.

"The way he acts around you, how he looks at you." Caroline shook her head with a smile on her lips. "It's like a new Damon, like he came back to life."

I was about to ask her what did she mean by that when a familiar song started to play in the background.

_I'll be your dream_

_I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy_

_I'll be your hope I'll be your love_

_Be everything that you need_

_._

"Dance with me?" His voice came from behind me and all the hairs on my neck stood up at the sound.

"Of course." I answered before turning around and taking the hand he was offering me. I could hear Caroline shriek from behind me but I didn't pay it too much attention. I was just focused on him, the man with the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.

_I want to stand with you on a mountain_

_I want to bathe with you in the sea_

_._

"I love this song." I whispered once his arms were encircling me.

"Yeah I kind of figured you would." He said with a smirk and I couldn't help but blush at his stare.

This was a magical moment, I couldn't see, feel or hear anything that wasn't him. He was consuming me in ways that probably should have terrified me but I just felt peace, joy, being with him was the most amazing thing that could happen to me and I never wanted to stop feeling like this. It was as if I was high on some drug, I wanted to stay this way forever. His arms around me and his smell surrounding me.

.

_Oh can you see it baby?_

_You don't have to close your eyes_

_Cause it's standing right before you_

_._

"You're special Elena, you know that?" he whispered against my hair. "I've never felt this way before." The emotion in his voice almost sent me to my knees.

"You're special too." I answered back.

"I don't really think that." He said. "But you make me feel special."

.

_I'll love you more with every breath_

_Truly, madly, deeply do_

_._

I smiled at him before pressing my lips softly to his while the music kept playing around us. "Meeting you, it's the best thing that could happen to me." He said after breaking apart the kiss.

I believed it, because I knew it was the truth. God, destiny, I didn't know who was the force that brought us together but I knew that I would be grateful for the rest of my life. I knew deep in my soul that this was love, true love. The kind of love my parents shared, the kind of love that only happens once in a lifetime… and I was going to enjoy it, every moment of it.

_I want to live like this forever_

_Until the sky falls down on me_

* * *

**_Huge, Huge Thanks to the people reading this. I know it's been a while, so if you're still reading it...well that means the world to me _**

**_Love,_**

**_Sam_**


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